Loading and unloading shelf structure



' Jan; 7, 1936.

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Patented Jan. 7, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOADING AND .UNLOADINGSHELF STRUCTURE Charles William La Marsh, Alton, Ill. ApplicationJanuary 5, 1935, Serial No. 5'14 3Claims. (Cl. 214-82) This inventionrelates to a loading and unloading shelf structure designed primarilyfor use in connection with haulage vehicles, more particularly closedbody trucks, but it is to be understood that a shelf structure, inaccordance with this invention, is to be employed .in any connection forwhich it may be found applicable, and the invention has for its objectto provide, in a manner as hereinafter set forth, for expeditiouslyloading articles or objects to be transported upon a truck and forexpeditiously unloading the articles or objects from off the truck whenoccasion requires.

To the above ends essentially and to others which may hereinafterappear, the invention consists of such parts and such combination ofparts which fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the shelf structure showingthe adaptation thereof with respect to the closed body of a truck,

Figure 2 is a sectional plan of the body of a truck showing theadaptation therewith'of the shelf structure, 1

Figures 3 and 4 are respectively sectional views on lines 3--3 and 4-4,Figure 1, a

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view in elevation of an upper and a lowertrack member, and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional detail of the shelf structure;

Referring to the drawings, l, 2 indicate the sides, 3 thefront, 4 thebottom and 5 the rear end of a closed body truck. The rear end 5 may beopen or may have associated therewith a shiftable closure therefor.Secured against the inner face of each side of the truck body isa row ofspaced parallel upstanding ribs. Each of said rows of ribs includes aforward end rib 6 spaced from the front 2, a rear end rib1 arranged atthe rear end of the side I and a plurality of intermediate ribs 8, 9 andH).

The shelf structure includes a pair of spaced parallel oppositelydisposed track members ll, l2 coacting to provide an upper track. "Apair of oppositely disposed spaced paralleltrack members l4, I5 coactingto provide a lower track. The track members ll, |2 having upwardlycurved rear end portions IT. The track members l4, l5 having downwardlycurved rear portions l8. The portions |1 extend in an opposite directionwith respect to the portions la. The track members |2 are formed ofvertical legs I9 and horizontal legs 22 extendinginwardly at rightangles to the upper ends of the vertical legs. The

bined bearing and track members |4, |5 are 2| and horizontal legs 22formed of vertical legs extending inwardly at right angles to thevertical legs 2|. The horizontal legs 22 are of greater length than thevertical legs 2| to provide extension 23 projecting beyond the rear endsof the said vertical legs 2|. The vertical legs l9 of the members l2have their bottom edges, for the major portion of their length abut thetop edges of the vertical legs 2| of the members I4, I5 for the majorportion of the length of the latter.

The vertical legs l9, 2|

and the horizontal legs 20, 22 of the track members are flush at theirforward ends with the forward-side edges of the ribs 6. The verticallegs l9, 2| of the track members are anchored to the ribs I, 6, 9 and IDby the holdfast means 24.

Secured to the ribs 2 are a pair of oppositely disposed parallelbrackets 25 (Figure 3), each consisting of a vertically disposed oblongbase 26 having arranged thereon, adjacent each end thereof, a verticallydisposed U-shaped compose to be referred to.

hanger element 21 fora pur- I-Ioldfast means 28 are provided foranchoring thebrackets 25 to the ribs 2.

The rear end portions H of the track members |2 abut the forward sideedges of the bases 26 adjacent the inner sides of the elements 21. Thevertical legs 2| 26 adjacent extensions across the bases 26 below of'the track members the bases and in spaced relation to the bottoms ofelements 21'.

Travelling upon the up per and lower tracks is an endless conveyorelement 28 disposedlengthwise of the truck body travelling on the upperand lower tracks and capable of having its upper stretch shifted in thedirection of the arrow 29 when employed for loading and in the directionof the arrow 30 when unloading.

The conveyor element includes a flexible section 3| in the form of acable, a resilient section 32 in the form of a coiled spring, a foldablesection in the form of a series of spaced parallel narrow slats 33hinged together in proximity to their ends as at 34, 35 and constitutinga support, a combined abutment and supporting section consisting of a'pair of spaced parallel angle'shaped straps 35' each having ahorizontal leg 36 and a vertical leg 31, a sectional angle shaped member31" having a vertical section 38 and a hori-' zontal section 39 uponwhich seats the section 38 and. a horizontally disposed fiat plate 40and coupling sections 4| and 4 The sections 32, 4| and than that of thefoldable section, but of greater length than that of the abutmentsection. The

foldable section of the conveyor is of greater length than that of anyone of the other sections of the conveyor. The sections 4| and 42 are ofless length than section 32.

The section 32 has each end formed with an eye and which is designated43, 44. The leaves 45 of the hinges 34, 35 are anchored against theinner face of the slats 33. The outer slats of the series of slats 33are designated 46, 41. The section 4| consists of a rounded bar 48 ofless length than a slat 33. The bar 48 at each end has a flat lateralextension 49 and which are anchored to the inner face of slat 46 wherebythe foldable section and section 4| are coupled together. The bar 48,centrally thereof, has a laterally extending eye 58 which is connectedto eye 46 of section 32 whereby the latter and section 32 are coupledtogether. A pair of spaced hinge members 5| are secured to the innerface of slat 41. The members 5| are pivotally connected, as

at. 52, tothe rear ends of the horizontal legs 36 of the straps 35'whereby the foldable and abutment sections are hinged together. Thesection 42 is in the form of a horizontally disposed flat bar 53connecting the forward ends of the horizontal legs 36 of the straps 35together. The bar 53, centrally thereof, is formed with an eye 54 towhich one, end of section 3| is anchored whereby the abutment section iscoupled to section 3|.

The vertical section 38 of member 3'! is of greater thickness thansection 39 of the latter.

The thickness of section 39 and plate 48 corresponds to that of theslats of the foldable section of theconveyor. The sections'38, 39 ofmember 31" are'anchored respectively to the legs 31, 3.6' respectivelyofthe. straps 35'. These latter are spaced adjacent to the side edges ofmem ber 31'.

The horizontalsection 39 of member 31' and the. plate 40 of'the abutmentsection of the conveyor travel upon the upper track only. The slats ofthe. foldable section of the conveyor travel upon the. upper and lowertracks.

Anchored. to the inner face of front 3 of the truck body is a rearwardlyextending bracket 55 carrying a rotatable pulley 56. The latter isdisposed centrally with respect to the track members at a point abovethe lower track and below the upper track. The section 3| of conveyorelement 28 travels around pulley 55. Revolubly mounted. in the. combinedbearing and hanger elements 27 are the ends of a shaft 56 carrying theroller 51, positioned to oppose the upper portion: of the opening formedbetween the curved portions l'| of the upper track and the curvedportions l8 of the. lower track. The foldable section of. the conveyorelement travels around the roller 51-- The arrangement of roller 51relative tothe tracks is such that. the rear portion upper stretch ofthe conveyor element 28, when loading, will travel downwardly fromroller 51 and when unloading the said rear-portion will travel upwardly.This lowers the article when loading and elevates the article forremoval when unloading.

When loading the conveyor element 28 is shifted.

in a direction whereby plate 48 of the abutment section. will bearranged in close relation to the roller 51-. The object or article willbe loaded upon the abutment section of element 28. On successivelyloading the objects or articles on said stretch the conveyor will beshifted in the direction of the arrow 29 until the section 38 of member31 abuts or is positioned in close proximity to the front 3 of the truckbody. When unloading the upper stretch of the conveyor is shifted in thedirection of the arrow 30. The section 32 functions to maintain theconveyor or element taut.

What I claim is:

1. A loading and unloading shelf structure, comprising an upper and alower track, said upper track having its rear end portion upwardlycurved towards its rear terminus, a roller revolubly supported at therear ends of said tracks,

a pulley supported at the forward ends of said tracks, and a conveyorelement including a foldable section travelling around said roller andupon said tracks and a section in the form of a cable travelling oversaid pulley and travelling between said tracks.

2. In a loading and unloading shelf structure, a shiftably supportedendless conveyor including an upstanding abutment section of angle form,a foldable section formed of a series of parts hinged together, aresilient section, a flexible section in the form of a cable, and a pairof coupling sections, one of said coupling sections being carried by anddepending from the bottom of the abutment section for connecting one endof the cable to the abutment section centrally of one end of the latter,the other of the said coupling sections'including a horizontal bar fixedto an end part of the foldable section having centrally thereof aforwardly extending means for connecting one end of the resilientsection thereto, said resilient section and said cable having coactingmeans at their other ends for connecting them together, and the otherends of the abutment section and foldable section having coacting meansfor hinging them together.

3. In a loading and unloading shelf structure for arrangement within a.truck body, upper and lower track forming means adapted to be anchoredto the sides of and arranged within the truck body, said upper trackforming means having its rear end portion extending upwardly, saidlower'track forming means having its rear end portion extendingdownwardly, a revoluble roller adapted to be supported from the sides ofthe truck body at the rear end of the latter, said roller being locatedbetween the said rear end portions, the periphery of the body of saidroller being spaced a greater distance from the downwardly extendingrear end portion than from the upwardly extending rear end portion, apulley adapted to be suspended rearwardly from the inner face of thefront of and within the truck body, a sectional support in the form of aseries of slats hinged together for travelling upon said tracks andaround said roller, a cable travelling CHARLES WM. LA MARSH.

